Paper sheet material receiving and stacking system

ABSTRACT

A paper sheet material receiving and stacking system includes a conveying unit including a feed table for receiving pieces of paper sheet material cut out of a continuous web, a receiving and adjustment unit including a carrier frame pivotally connected to the conveyor unit for transferring the received pieces of paper sheet material and a driving device for biasing the carrier frame between a horizontal position and an inclined position and an adjustment mechanism for controlling the gap of a sheet-transfer passage, and a stacking unit including a platform adapted for receiving pieces of paper sheet material passing through the sheet-transfer passage and a transmission mechanism controllable to move the platform horizontally forward, backward, leftward and rightward and vertically up and down and a sliding limiter for stopping pieces of paper sheet material on the platform in a stack.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a machine for receiving and stacking pieces of sheet material, for example, cardboard or corrugated sheets of different thickness and more particularly, to a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system, which can automatically stack up pieces of paper sheet material for quick packing, saving much labor and time and lowering the stacking and packing cost.

2. Description of the Related Art

In our daily life, many different sheets of paper material, such as writing paper, packing paper, office paper and etc., may be used for the purpose of writing, or for packing or protecting articles. For example, corrugated sheets are commonly used for making cartons for holding things. Corrugated sheets are generally made of a central fluted or corrugated core layer bonded to outer, opposed face sheets, with the use of a starch base paste. The board is passed over a series of heated plates to cause the starch to gel and harden, completing the bond. After bonding of the plies, the continuous web of corrugated paperboard product is trimmed and cut off into pieces. The pieces of paper sheet material thus obtained can be further processed into cartons or other forms for different applications. When a continuous web of corrugated paperboard product is cut off into pieces, the pieces of paper sheet material A may be delivered through a paper sheet material conveyor system, which, as shown in FIG. 8, comprises a sheet-transfer conveying belt unit B and a stack conveying belt unit C. When a predetermined number of pieces of paper sheet material A (10 pcs, 15 pcs or 20 pcs of paper sheet material) is stacked up, the stack of pieces of paper sheet material is then delivered by the stack conveying belt unit C to a predetermined location for further packing and/or delivery. The use of the paper sheet material conveyor system is still not satisfactory in function due to the following problems:

-   1. After transfer of pieces of paper sheet material A by the     sheet-transfer conveying belt unit B to the stack conveying belt     unit C, workers must manually arrange the pieces of paper sheet     material A neatly in a stack, wasting much labor. Further, it is     inconvenient to wrap the stack of pieces of paper sheet material A     at the stack conveying belt unit C. -   2. The conveying speed of the sheet-transfer conveying belt unit B     and the conveying speed of the stack conveying belt unit C are     limited so that workers can arrange the pieces of paper sheet     material A neatly in a stack and wrap the stack of pieces of paper     sheet material A at the stack conveying belt unit C. In consequence,     the operating speed is lowered, resulting in low efficiency. -   3. As the operating speed of the paper sheet material conveyor     system is limited, much energy will be wasted, and the cost will be     relatively increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system, which can automatically stack up pieces of paper sheet material for quick packing, saving much labor and time and lowering the stacking and packing cost.

To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system comprises a conveying unit, a receiving and adjustment unit, and a stacking unit. The conveying unit comprises a feed table for receiving pieces of paper sheet material cut out of a continuous web. The receiving and adjustment unit comprises a carrier frame pivotally connected to the conveyor unit for transferring pieces of paper sheet material from the conveying unit to the stacking unit, and adjustment mechanism for controlling the gap of a sheet-transfer passage through which pieces of paper sheet material are delivered individually to the stacking unit. The stacking unit comprises a platform adapted for receiving pieces of paper sheet material from the sheet-transfer passage, and a sliding limiter for stopping pieces of paper sheet material on the platform in a stack.

Further, the conveying unit comprises a conveyor frame extends obliquely upwardly from the feed table, an endless conveying belt mounted on the conveyor frame, and a motor drive mounted at the conveyer frame and controllable to rotate the endless conveying belt on the conveyor frame in delivering pieces of paper sheet material from the feed table to the receiving and adjustment unit. The motor drive of the conveying unit is controllable to change the speed. The receiving and adjustment unit further comprises a driving device adapted for biasing the carrier frame between a horizontal position and an inclined position.

Further, the stacking unit comprises a transmission mechanism controllable to move the platform horizontally forward, backward, leftward and rightward and vertically up and down.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system (I).

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system (II).

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system (III).

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system (IV).

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the present invention, illustrating the operation of the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system (V).

FIG. 8 illustrates a paper sheet material conveyor system according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system in accordance with the present invention comprises a conveying unit 1, a receiving and adjustment unit 2, and a stacking unit 3.

The conveying unit 1 comprises a feed table 11, a conveyor frame 12 obliquely upwardly extended from one end of the feed table 11 toward a predetermined direction, an endless conveying belt 131 mounted on the conveyor frame 12, and a motor drive 13 mounted at the conveyer frame 12 and controllable to rotate the endless conveying belt 131 on the conveyor frame 12.

The receiving and adjustment unit 2 comprises a carrier frame 21 pivotally connected to one end (high end) of the conveyor frame 12 opposite to the feed table 11, transmission rollers 22 pivotally mounted at one end of the carrier frame 21 adjacent to the conveyor frame 12, steering rollers 223 pivotally mounted at an opposite end of the carrier frame 21, an endless conveying belt 222 mounted on the transmission rollers 22 and the steering rollers 223, a motor drive 221 mounted in the bottom side of the carrier frame 21 and controllable to rotate the transmission rollers 22 in moving the endless conveying belt 222, a driving device 23 coupled to the other end of the carrier frame 21 adjacent to the steering rollers 223 and controllable to lift the other end of the carrier frame 21, and an adjustment mechanism 24 mounted the top side of the other end of the carrier frame 21 above the driving device 23. The adjustment mechanism 24 comprises a bracket 241 fixedly mounted at the carrier frame 21, a substantially L-shaped link 242 pivotally mounted at the bracket 241, a push and pull member 243 coupled between the carrier frame 21 and one end of the L-shaped link 242, an impression wheel 244 pivotally mounted at the angled corner area of the L-shaped link 242 and defining with the surface of the endless conveying belt 222 a sheet-transfer passage 25, and a stop bar 245 coupled to the other end of the L-shaped link 242. The push and pull member 243 is controllable to bias the L-shaped link 242 relative to the bracket 241, thereby adjusting the gap of the sheet-transfer passage 25.

The stacking unit 3 comprises a frame base 30 connected to the receiving and adjustment unit 2 adjacent to the other end of the carrier frame 21 opposite to the conveyor frame 1, a platform 31 suspending in the frame base 30, a sliding track 33 mounted in the frame base 30 above the platform 31, a stacking space 310 defined in the frame base 30 between the platform 31 and the sliding track 33, a transmission mechanism 32 mounted in the frame base 30 and controllable to move the platform 31 horizontally forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and vertically up and down, and a sliding limiter 331 mounted on and movable along the sliding track 33 and holding a stop member 332 in the stacking space 310.

During installation, the carrier frame 21 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2 is pivotally connected to the high end of the conveyor frame 12 of the conveying unit 1 opposite to the feed table 11, and then the frame base 30 of the stacking unit 3 is connected to connected to receiving and adjustment unit 2 adjacent to the other end of the carrier frame 21 opposite to the conveyor frame 12, enabling the stop bar 245 of the adjustment mechanism 24 to suspend in the stacking space 310 of the stacking unit 3. Thus, the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system is set up for stacking pieces of paper sheet material 4, for example, corrugated sheets or cardboard sheets.

The conveying unit 1 is adapted for receiving paper sheet material, for example, corrugated sheets or cardboard sheets, by means of the feed table 11. The driving device 23 and push and pull member 243 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2 can be hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, transmission gear sets, transmission chains, motor sets, or any of a variety of other transmission means capable of biasing the L-shaped link 242 back and forth relative to the bracket 241. The transmission mechanism 32 of the stacking unit 3 can be hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, transmission gear sets, transmission chains, motor sets, or any of a variety of other transmission means.

Further, the motor drive 13 of the conveying unit 1 is controllable to change its speed of rotation, thereby controlling the conveying speed of the endless conveying belt 131 at the conveyer frame 12. The motor drive 221 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2 is controllable to change its speed of rotation, thereby controlling the conveying speed of the endless conveying belt 222 at the carrier frame 21.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 1 and 2 again, pieces of paper sheet material 4, for example, corrugated sheets or cardboard sheets, cut out of a continuous web, are fed through the feed table 11 of the conveying unit 1 into the endless conveying belt 131 at the conveyer frame 12 that is rotated by the motor drive 13 at a predetermined speed. The speed of the endless conveying belt 131 is controlled subject to the actual job site operating requirements (for example, for stacking 10 pcs, 15 pcs or 20 pcs of paper sheet material 4 within a predetermined time period). After feeding of a predetermined number of pieces of paper sheet material 4 into the endless conveying belt 131 by the feed table 11, the motor drive 13 is controlled to accelerate the speed, driving the endless conveying belt 131 to deliver the overlapped pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the carrier frame 21 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2. At the same time, the driving device 23 is controlled to lower the other end of the carrier frame 21 from a horizontal position to an inclined position, and then the motor drive 221 is controlled to rotate the transmission rollers 22, moving the endless conveying belt 222 to deliver the pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the adjustment mechanism 24. At this time, the sheet-transfer passage 25 between the impression wheel 244 and the surface of the endless conveying belt 222 is adjusted for allowing the pieces of paper sheet material 4 to pass individually. Thus, the pieces of paper sheet material 4 are transferred to the platform 31 of the stacking unit 3 one after another and stacked on one another at the platform 31 in the stacking space 310. By means of the operation of the stop bar 245 of the adjustment mechanism 24 and the stop member 332 of the stacking unit 3 to stop the stacked pieces of paper sheet material 4 at the platform 31 of the stacking unit 3, the stacked pieces of paper sheet material 4 is kept neatly in a stack. During stacking, the transmission mechanism 32 is controlled to lower the platform 31, enabling a predetermined number of pieces of paper sheet material 4 to be stacked up at the platform 31.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, and FIG. 1 again, after a predetermined number of pieces of paper sheet material 4 have been delivered out of the adjustment mechanism 24 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2 to the platform 31 of the stacking unit 3 during the stacking operation, the driving device 23 is controlled to lift the other end of the carrier frame 21 from the inclined position for enabling the endless conveying belt 222 to receive another predetermined number of pieces of paper sheet material 4 from the endless conveying belt 131 of the conveying unit 1 to run a next stacking cycle.

When the endless conveying belt 222 at the carrier frame 21 receives another set of overlapped pieces of paper sheet material 4 from the endless conveying belt 131, the driving device 23 is controlled to lower the other end of the carrier frame 21 from the horizontal position to the inclined position again, and then the motor drive 221 is controlled to rotate the transmission rollers 22, moving the endless conveying belt 222 to deliver the overlapped pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the adjustment mechanism 24, and at the same time, the transmission mechanism 32 of the stacking unit 3 is controlled to move the platform 31 horizontally relative to the frame base 30, leaving a predetermined distance D between one end edge of the duly stacked pieces of paper sheet material 4 and the stop member 332 of the stacking unit 3, enabling the next set of pieces of paper sheet material 4 to be stacked up on the previous stack of pieces of paper sheet material 4 at the platform 31 in an offset manner, facilitating further wrapping or packing operation without causing interference and saving much labor and packing time. Thus, the invention can automatically stack up pieces of paper sheet material for quick packing, lowering the stacking and packing cost and avoiding wasting resources.

As stated above, the invention provides a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system, which utilizes the feed table 11 of the conveying unit 1 to receive pieces of paper sheet material 4 that are cut out of a continuous web, the endless conveying belt 131 at the conveyer frame 12 of the conveying unit 1 to deliver the received pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the carrier frame 21 of the receiving and adjustment unit 2 for enabling the endless conveying belt 222 at the carrier frame 21 to deliver the received pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the platform 31 of the stacking unit 3, and the stop bar 245 of the adjustment mechanism 24 and the stop member 332 of the stacking unit 3 to stop the stacked pieces of paper sheet material 4 neatly at the platform 31 of the stacking unit 3. Thus, the paper sheet material receiving and stacking system can automatically stack up pieces of paper sheet material for quick packing, saving much labor and time and lowering the stacking and packing cost.

In conclusion, the invention provides a paper sheet material receiving and stacking system, which has the advantages and features as follows:

-   1. By means of the feed table 11 of the conveying unit 1 to receives     piece of paper sheet material 4 that are cut out of a continuous     web, the endless conveying belt 131 of the conveying unit 1 to     deliver the received pieces of paper sheet material 4 to the     receiving and adjustment unit 2, the endless conveying belt 222 of     the receiving and adjustment unit 21 to deliver the received pieces     of paper sheet material 4 from the conveying unit 1 to the platform     31 of the stacking unit 3 and the adjustment mechanism 24 to adjust     the gap of the sheet-transfer passage 25 subject to the thickness of     the pieces of paper sheet material 4, the paper sheet material     receiving and stacking system can automatically stack up pieces of     paper sheet material for quick packing, saving much labor and time     and lowering the stacking and packing cost. -   2. The transmission mechanism 32 of the stacking unit 3 is     controllable to move the platform 31 horizontally and vertically     relative to the frame base 30, different sets of pieces of paper     sheet material 4 to be stacked up on one another in an offset     manner, facilitating further wrapping or packing operation without     causing interference. -   3. By means of the conveying unit 1, the receiving and adjustment     unit 2 and the stacking unit 3, the paper sheet material receiving     and stacking system automatically stacks up pieces of paper sheet     material neatly for quick packing, saving much stacking and packing     time and cost and avoiding wasting resources.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What the invention claimed is:
 1. A paper sheet material receiving and stacking system, comprising: a conveying unit, said conveying unit comprising a feed table for receiving pieces of paper sheet material cut out of a continuous web, a conveyor frame extended from one end of said feed table and an endless conveying belt mounted on said conveyer frame and adapted for delivering the pieces of paper sheet material received by said feed table to a receiving and adjustment unit; a receiving and adjustment unit, said receiving and adjustment unit comprising a carrier frame pivotally connected to one end of said conveyor frame opposite to said feed table and adapted for transferring the received pieces of paper sheet material from the endless conveying belt of said conveying unit to a stacking unit, a driving device coupled to an opposite end of said carrier frame and controllable to move said carrier frame between a horizontal position and an inclined position, an adjustment mechanism at said carrier frame and adapted for controlling said conveyor frame to transfer the received pieces of paper sheet material to a stacking unit piece by piece; and a stacking unit adapted for receiving pieces of paper sheet material from said receiving and adjustment unit and stacking up the received pieces of paper sheet material in a stack, said stacking unit comprising a platform adapted for receiving pieces of paper sheet material from said receiving and adjustment unit, a transmission mechanism controllable to move said platform horizontally forward, backward, leftward and rightward and vertically up and down, a stacking space defined above said platform and a sliding limiter suspending in said stacking space and adapted for stopping pieces of paper sheet material in said stacking space in a stack.
 2. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pieces of paper sheet material receivable by said feed table are corrugated sheets or cardboard sheets.
 3. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conveyor frame extends obliquely upwardly from said feed table; said conveying unit further comprises a motor drive mounted at said conveyor frame and controllable to rotate the endless conveying belt of said conveying unit on said conveyor frame at different speeds.
 4. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiving and adjustment unit comprises at least one transmission roller pivotally mounted at one end of said carrier frame adjacent to the conveyor frame of said conveying unit, at least one steering roller pivotally mounted at an opposite end of said carrier frame, an endless conveying belt mounted on said at least one transmission roller and said at least one steering roller, a motor drive mounted in a bottom side of said carrier frame and controllable to rotate said at least one transmission roller in moving the endless conveying belt of said receiving and adjustment unit; said driving device is selected from the group of hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder, transmission gear set, transmission chain and motor set.
 5. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises a bracket fixedly mounted at said carrier frame, a substantially L-shaped link pivotally mounted at said bracket, a push and pull member coupled between said carrier frame and one end of said L-shaped link and adapted for biasing said L-shaped link, an impression wheel pivotally mounted at an angled corner area of said L-shaped link and defining with the endless conveying belt of said receiving and adjustment unit a sheet-transfer passage through which pieces of paper sheet material are delivered individually.
 6. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said push and pull member of said receiving and adjustment mechanism is selected from the group of hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder, transmission gear set, transmission chain and motor set.
 7. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmission mechanism of said stacking unit comprises at least one of the sets of hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, transmission gear sets, transmission chains and motor sets.
 8. The paper sheet material receiving and stacking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stacking unit further comprises a sliding track suspending above said stacking space; said sliding limiter is slidably mounted at said sliding track and holding a stop member in said stacking space for stopping pieces of paper sheet material at said platform in a stack. 